We are excited to report back on the protest led by our Hey Class last weekend. Our fifth-grade Shule class joined Families for Justice as Healing and T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights on Sunday, February 23, 2025 to call for legislation to pause the building of new prisons and jails in Massachusetts. In addition to hearing from the campaign leaders, the students brought music and theater to imagine how resources can be used to support alternatives to incarceration and invest in impacted communities.

Charlotte D. from Boston said “This year, in the Hey class, we’ve been learning about Jewish values such as tikkun olam which means to fix the world and make it a better place… I feel like I am here today because this idea of helping people is really important to me… we should all have what we need and sending people to prison doesn’t give them what they need.”

Maya, a fifth grader from Waltham said “We are participating in this protest because we want to make an impact as children, and we think acting instead of just talking about this issue will help us learn and teach others as well.”

The students called for Massachusetts residents to support Families for Justice as Healing’s No New Women’s Prison campaign and call and email their state legislators to co-sponsor the new prison and jail construction moratorium bill (HD.523/SD.671), which forms an important part of FJAH’s #FreeHer Policy Platform alongside elder/medical parole, drug decriminalization, and diversion and resentencing for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. The moratorium would put a pause on prison and jail construction in Massachusetts for five years so there can be greater focus on investing in communities. 

“Right now the state is considering a plan to build a $50 million women’s prison to incarcerate women for the next century or more,” said Mallory Hanora, Co-Director of Families for Justice as Healing. “That means our children, our great grandchildren, our great great grandchildren and beyond. These kids are clear about the future they want; a future where everybody can grow up surrounded by care and resources so they can thrive. Prison construction does not bring us closer to young people’s vision of real safety and wellbeing, and in fact moves our state backwards.”

Lucy Rubenstein, a fifth grader from Boston shared, “We have been learning that building prisons takes a lot of money that could go to better things like building homes for the homeless. People who have been in prison usually get bad jobs and they can’t vote, so life is hard for them. This might make them do the thing they did to get in prison again. It is a circle of not helping. This [protest] helps our Jewish community think about helping others and justice.”

Rabbi Mimi Micner, T’ruah’s second campaign co-chair, added, “This religious commitment to the inherent human dignity and worthiness of all people moves us to take action with this campaign. We are committed to the work of investing in communities, not new prisons. In creating paths for releasing women, starting with survivors, the elderly, and the sick, so that they can receive the care and support they need from their own communities. In decriminalizing drug-related transgressions, so that individuals can receive life-saving treatment instead of being locked up. And above all, we are committed to following the leadership of directly impacted communities who know what is necessary to break cycles of incarceration and harm and create a society that is safer, more dignified, and more human for every one of us.”

Fiona H. a fifth grader at the BWC said “We’ve been learning about solidarity and mutual aid. We’ve also learned a lot about besere velt, which means making the world better than it is right now.”

The Hey class’s efforts did not go unnoticed. The media coverage included NBC Boston News, The Berkeley Beacon, BU News Service, and The Bay State Banner!